%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
A new blog to contain answers to prompts |
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one. Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.  |
| Prompt: “Something must have gone awry with the programming. I have no idea where or when we are.” Steven Decker, The Balance of Time Do you think there is programming in our existence and do you ever feel like Steven Decker with all the goings on in this world? ----------- I think, we are programmed through our DNA's, to start with. Genetic code aside, if anything has gone awry, I can't tell if it was due to any booboo on the other types of programming or not; however, our behaviors, ideals, and other tendencies seem to change from century to century and even from decade to decade. So this means to me what programming exists, it is bound to change. Then, in the same vein, isn't it possible that our brains' neurons were programmed by nature and later, they were-and are-subject to some kind of a revision programming? I am quite sure that we all were born with some innate reflexes and instincts, until learned behaviors set in and changed all those. Here enters our social and psychological or, if you will, socio-psychological conditioning, in addition to biological, and neurological tendencies. This conditioning, in time, affects our offspring's neurons or even the DNA. Does this mean we have a cultural software built in? I tend to think so; however, as deeply embedded as that software maybe, we human beings also possess something called the free will. Plus, some or rather very few of us become astute enough to recognize our own programming, and then, if it doesn't serve us, we deliberately alter it. Changing the ways of life, ideas, beliefs. and religions come to mind, here. Then, unfortunately, most people are not aware that they have the capacity to change their programming and they end up staying enslaved to what was put into them, especially by the parents and the societies they are born into. I seriously think that is how and why we have wars. With wars and disagreements, I don't want to name any actual sides or groups, here. So, for example, let's just say purple people are programmed to look down upon or even hate the magenta people for any outward reason. Then, any little thing the magenta people do, irks the heck out of the purple people. So, with the slightest provocation, they go at the magenta with huge armies and bombs, and of course, they get a similar response from the magenta people because the magenta people also think that, surely, magenta are the better ones by nature's or even by God's decree. With or without wars, groups, nations, etc., programming is a layered construct in its essence. In addition to being a poetic metaphor and a scientific concept, it shows up as a testament to --or a curse-- what programming really subtracts from or adds to our survival as human beings. |
| Prompt: "It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn't make everything all right. It didn't make ANYTHING all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird's flight. But I'll take it. With open arms." Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner What is this quote saying to you, and how and why, do you think, a smile can be so important? ------------ The way I see it, a smile is a nonverbal communication. Plus, inside a smile can be hidden messages like warmth, friendliness, reassurance, gratitude, or even sarcasm or malice. On the positive side, a smile overcomes language barriers for me if I don't know the language of the other person I'm with. This is because a heartfelt smile creates a sense of connection and trust. People who send genuine smiles to others can be viewed as more approachable and likable. Imagine this: You are in the middle of a busy store, searching for a specific object. And one of the clerks smiles at you. Wouldn't you be more likely to ask him or her where that something is that you're looking for? Then, a genuine smile can be contagious because it lifts others' moods, lightens tense situations, and encourages a more positive environment. Also, it helps how other people--and I, too--will perceive a person. Would I be more likely to talk with a person who smiles at me or would I be talking to the person who is looking away? Surely, I'd go with the smiling person, unless I'm some kind of therapist who wants to help all the frowning people or some kind of a psycho who likes to get beaten upon. I'm also quite sure that overall positivity plus a smile can help one's mental health and look on life as well as having a positive effect on the people around. Come to think of it, maybe even physical health, too, for I suspect my sons' and friends' smiles do help my physical health. Not that I am always smiling, myself, though! But I wish I could and I wish everyone could. Then, maybe we'd be living in a much friendlier world! |
| Prompt: “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest What do you think about this quote, and now that we're totally into our techie toys and the internet, do you keep a diary the old-fashioned way? ----------- If you don't count the train service between Long Island and Manhattan, it has been at least five to six decades that I have stepped in a train. I'm trying to picture in my mind how anyone can read their diary on a train full of nosy passengers, unless of course, one has a private compartment. As to diaries, yes, I still keep a few for jotting stuff in, every now and then, and I have a special one I keep on a daily basis. The daily thing is a small notebook, regular off the shelf kind and not one of the fancy padded and beautified ones. I write in it every evening just one page at a time. I think I established this habit as a mental-health-care thing, and even if it might not have improved anything intended, this notebook became very close to me, as if a really good friend. Then, I have another notebook I write into, every now and then, just to let my mind run wild and free, by using a sort of a stream of consciousness style, without even lifting the pen or correcting anything. This way, I'm simply capturing thoughts as they come. Just about for everybody, keeping a diary or a journal reduces stress and anxiety by releasing thoughts and emotions and daily events down onto the paper. Even sometimes, when life hits hard, as one writes, one may come up with a solution to a problem one probably didn't think of earlier. Especially a gratitude journal, in which one can write everything one is grateful for, be it a found penny on the ground, helps just about anyone to look at life with more positive eyes. Then, there are several kinds of keeping a diary or a journal. A painter friend I once knew used to keep a sketch journal. He sketched anything and everything he found interesting. During the eighties, I too was keeping a journal for recording my dreams. The other day, I found it and laughed my head off at my long-ago dreams. This means we can use a diary or a journal in any way we wish. During these last few years, with all the new techie toys that are offered to us, I still cherish the notebook-and-pen kind, but then, there is nothing wrong to use the technical media if one so prefers. In fact, I came across this website where one can keep a private journal for free. https://penzu.com Although I have no intention of using this or any other such service for myself, this can be some help to many traveling people who only carry a cellphone or a small electronic pad with them. No matter how and why we keep a diary or a journal, there is no right or wrong approach. It's all up to us. The simple act of getting in touch with ourselves is what is truly important. |
| Prompt: On this day in 1937, Margaret Mitchell wins the Pulitzer Prize for her novel "Gone with the Wind". Have you read the book? What did you think of the inherent racism of the novel and the sexual tension throughout most of the story and the suggestion of marital rape? Should it have won a Pulitzer Prize in your opinion? ------ I have seen the movie, since my mother took me with her to a rerun to watch it, but I haven't read the book. At the time, Clark Gable was admired by all. Unfortunately, then, I didn't even know that the movie came from a book. So, afterwards, I didn't want to read the novel. Movies do that to me. They ruin any good literature, although if my memory serves me right, it was a pretty good movie. I know my mother discussing it for days and weeks. Should the book have won the Pulitzer? I think it told the truth of its time. I understand that the novel itself was written from the perspective of a slave holder. It's said that the writer of the story, Margaret Mitchell, was a racist with this work and her other writings. I am not defending her but we have to consider that, in her time, most people were racists. I apply it to our time when we have grown up thinking that democracy is the best policy for governing a country, but what will the later generations think about that, say 100 years later? We'll have to live and see... Back to the story inside "Gone with the Wind, " come to think of it, why would any author choose a spoiled, selfish, and stupid girl as her main character in an epic novel, a girl who was frivolous to the nth degree especially in the beginning. Yes, she did get what she deserved--well somewhat--at the end. The movie was a success due to the excellent portrayal of her by Vivian Leigh, who won an Oscar for it. I remember a lot about the movie because, later on, it showed up on the TV screen several times. In those earliest days of the movie industry, it is said that the movie-makers were more loyal to the books they made the movies from. Yet, I bet, if I read the book itself, I would be fuming at Margaret Mitchell's third-person narrator. From the clips that are online, now, the ugly prejudiced way she relates the events of the day turned me off totally. Yet, as they say, the characterization was superb in the book as it was in the movie. So who am I to judge! Then, at the end, I have to repeat Rhett Buttler's words to Scarlett, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" |
| Prompt: Let this quote inspire your entry today: "Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you're positive, good things happen." Deep Roy ------- I think with this quote, the word positive needs a much better definition. Positive about what? Does this mean the authors have to be positive to embrace any idea that pops up their minds or does it mean they have to have a positive view of people and life, in general? Or does it even mean acting politely and nicely to any person, idea, place. or thing, even while not believing in its qualities? As to inspiration itself, is it that eureka moment when the ideas come up suddenly or is it the result of wanting to create something? What about the common adage, 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration? Just where does inspiration come from? People have different experiences and ideas about that, and so far that I know, there is no consensus. Then, there are quite a few very famous authors who were not positive about some or most things. For one, Kafka might not have been positive about his own work. As he was hardly known in his lifetime, he ordered a friend of his to burn all his manuscripts after his death. That friend ignored Kafka's dying wish. totally. So, now, Kafka is famous and keeps on influencing those who try to imitate him. Also, Fyodor Dostoevsky, whose work explored the human psychology and impressed me deeply during my high school years and still keeps on impressing me, was a depressed, complex person, with sometimes too strong, controversial religious and political views. He might have had moments of positivity, but in general, he wasn't really positive. To top it all, Shakespeare, a poet and playwright that I admire for his dramatic flair, also had a volatile temperament that showed up every now and then. How about that! As for me, I do like "positive" in my real life, and I try not to be a drama queen; however, I don't think whether I am positive or negative has an effect on my work in any area, let alone on my puny writing.  |
| Prompt: What is a happy home to you? Write about this in your Blog entry today. --------- At this point in my life, a happy home is a place or rather a situation where I have freedom to be myself. But then, I always was myself, at different stages of my life and with different or changing, maybe revolving, family members. I say revolving because my sons take turns to be around me nowadays, after they've flown the coup, and sometimes we manage for all of us to be together, even though other very important family members are not here, anymore, Yet, those who are deceased are still with us in our hearts and memories. For me, a happy home is where, in addition to be myself and other members to be comfortable enough to be themselves, love is practiced all the time, laughter is common, and every member feels like they belong. This means much more than a physical space, but an environment where everyone feels accepted, valued, supported. and safe. This means respect, communication, encouragement and much understanding among the people in this happy home. When we achieve these things and such cooperation, then we find that the time spent with the others in our home is one of quality and stability where we all feel we truly belong. |
| Prompt: "Do you love this world? Do you cherish your humble and silky life? Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?" Mary Oliver Please respond to Mary Oliver's questions. ------ Well, it is still April, the poetry month. So, here it goes: Do I love this world, its breath of wind or hush of rain on stones? Do I wake to the light and call it a gift, though shadows walk behind? Well, the grass is soft cradling my feet but roots remember bones. Still, the birds sing the leaves lean in. still I rise in the morning, adoring it all, even the ache especially the ache. -------- Mary Oliver is no fool as her work is honest, not just beautiful, but she notes that darker truths coexist wirh beauty and the inevitability of us being mortals. Suffering exists as the raw, wild pulse of this world. Do we adore it, or just tolerate or understand it? At the end, after considering the paradoxes, we (I) arrive at a radical acceptance, to love life, not in spite of its terror, but including it. |
| Prompt: "My goal in life is to be as good as my dog or cat thinks I am." Write about this in your Blog entry today. ----- I don't have a dog or a cat now, since August, that is, when my last cat, Noche, suddenly went to the cat heaven. Noche was a very nice, sensitive, loving cat. I miss her so very much! I believe Noche thought I was pretty good, too. It was evident in the way she always wanted to do what I was doing, be it making the bed, gardening, doing the laundry, etc. Her involvement in my chores made the chores take a longer time, but I was glad for her help and never complained. How could I complain when she snuggled up to me in bed and looked at the book I was reading and tried to do just the same? And how can I forget how she always talked in her sleep? I wonder, now, if I also talk in my sleep. But I'll never know that, will I! As to the quote, it captures the sweetness and the ideal of the animal-human relationship. In my life, I experienced nothing but an unconditional love and loyalty from my pets along the years. Because my pets perceived me as being so wonderful, who am I not to try to reach to that image in their minds! The qualities my pets, or rather animal friends, have shown me--such as patience, consistency, empathy, acceptance, and love-- are the very qualities that could make me a better person. If I could only reach up to their expectations! |
| Prompt: “But, if you have nothing at all to create, then perhaps you create yourself.” C.G. Jung What does this quote mean to you and do you agree with Jung that we create ourselves? -------- Empty hands, still bloom— shaping self from silent stone, I become the art And, I had to come up with a haiku for this. Maybe because April--the poetry month--is waning out. As to the quote, it got me thinking. Creation isn't limited to what we see and do outside of us or our external achievements. It can be deeply personal. Therefore, we are never truly out of options to create. This goes for me, too. When there is no canvas to paint on, I become the canvas. When there are no tools, my choices, my work discipline, dreams, and resilience become my tools. I feel I am not out of options because I believe in the human spirit, in everyone and not just myself. In other words, all of us can turn inward, sculpt our thoughts and memories, etch our hopes upon our silences, and bend our lives to fit the circumstances. Then, even a broken light may have the power to illuminate someone else's darkness. After all, when all is said and done, we are all living anthems.   |
| Day 2534 April 27th, 202 “No response is a response. And a powerful one. Remember that.” Unknown Do you think not answering a question is a proper way to behave? Have you ever left the questions of some people without a response? ------ Not answering a question may not be a proper way to behave, but some questions--those that shouldn't be asked--deserve no answer. To begin with, asking improper questions is the worst way to behave and those should be left without any answers. In the first place, I think there is something wrong with quick and insincere replies and expecting constant communication. True, the absence of a response can be jarring, confusing, and hurtful. Yet, sometimes, no response says more than the words ever can. In fact, this not-answering choice can be an act of strength. All because it sets boundaries and refuses to feed into any negativity. I'm especially annoyed when someone puts down another person, then asks me, "Isn't that so?" Questions like that I try to dodge at first, and if I'm not successful at dodging, I change the subject without answering such a question. It doesn't always work, though! Sometimes, the other person keeps on insisting. Then, is the time to either tell the truth with something like, "I don't like to talk behind anyone," or just leave the room. If I can't do either, I just say, "I need a bathroom break." And then l rush to ieave.Silence in the face of any question we don't want to answer is in fact, a good thing. In many cases it protects peace by avoiding unnecessary battles. It also shows that not everything deserves an answer, an acknowledgment, or provocation. Sometimes, this way, in the stillness of no reply, the loudest truths are revealed. |
| Prompt: T. S. Eliot said, exploring the aftermath of World War I, focusing on themes of disillusionment, loss, and the breakdown of modern society. It presents a desolate and sterile world, both physically and spiritually, reflecting the psychological and social trauma experienced after the war. in his1921 poem The Waste Land. Are you familiar with the poem The Waste Land? Do you agree or disagree with his analogy.? https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/april-is-the-cruelest-month -------------- Yes, I am familiar with this poem or rather the whole book that it was in. I really don't disagree or agree with the poem for it shows the way the poet felt. And who can blame him! He wrote this fascinating poem after World War I. Throughout the poem or rather the entire book, he talks of disillusionment, loss, and the breakdown of his world/society, which is desolate and sterile, both physically and in spirit. The social trauma after the war and his feelings about it show up in his addition of phrases and lines in German and French. As to April being the cruelest month, what is cruel and what is not depends on the person and his/her sight and insight. In my case, I don't like April because of the tax time. I wish we could pay for things as we buy or use them, rather than going through all the crap in March and April, while preparing our tax returns, even though I have a good accountant. Still, it is up to me to put together all the data and the papers. It is unnerving! Or else, I would readily accept IRS itself doing my taxes and billing me, even though this has its iffy points and plotholes, too. Still, it would be better than me going through such stuff every year during tax time. Other than that, I have no problem with April, whatsoever. |
| Prompt: On this day in 1719, Daniel Defoe’s fictional work The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is published. The book, about a shipwrecked sailor who spends 28 years on a deserted island, is based on the experiences of shipwreck victims and of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who spent four years on a small island off the coast of South America in the early 1700s. In your entry today, write about being stranded on a deserted island. What would you do to keep yourself sane? ----------- I'd be so weirded out if I were ever stranded on a deserted island, as if I am not so weird, as it is now. I guess, at first, I'd be mulling over the facts about how this happened to me, where I went wrong, and why this! Once, the mulling and grieving would be over, survival instinct would probably take hold and adrenaline would keep me moving. My needs would be: water, food, shelter, and safety. Once I handled those basic needs, (as if I could!), I would set up a routine. This is because routines, loosely speaking, seem to help me greatly in my present life. Surely, I'd wake with the sun, due to the lack of the eye-mask I now use in the mornings. Then, I'd forage for food. Fishing or traps or such I won't even mention. I just can't kill animals; although I have no qualms about eating them, if they come from the butcher or the supermarket. This would force me to turn into a vegetarian, which would greatly please my older son who is a vegan--unlike anyone else in the family--if he knew somehow I wasn't eating animal products. But I digress. Since I always have a need to know the time, I might try to keep a loose sense of it, possibly by collecting pebbles and putting a pebble for each day in a corner of the shelter I might have built or the cave I might be using. As to company, I'd probably be okay, with that one. As it is, I am used to talking to myself and to wild life. You should listen in to hear how I address the baby salamanders that perch on the windowsill of my now-kitchen, not to mention the birds and squirrels and rabbits out there on the lawn. I somehow have the feeling that once a wild animal catches on to my talking to it, it responds in its own ways. No, I'm not making this up. I really believe it. Try it yourself and you'll see! Then, I might even make up stories and poems and write them on the sand. And, just maybe, I would also hope someone nice and friendly and much more capable than me would become stranded on my island, too. |
| Prompt: "Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves." Write about this quote in you Blog entry today. ----------- I won't disagree with the idea that solitude may have some restorative powers. Yes, solitude can become a tool for self-discovery, but it may not be for everyone. I guess the idea took hold after Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own." There may be some truth to the fact that a quiet space can allow for reflection, healing, and even some empowerment, if doable.. Yet, is solitude a must? To begin with, not every woman finds herself in solitude, nor should she have to. To be authentic, some connection to others, through conversation and friendship, can also be a healer. People may discover their essences not in isolation but in the presence of those who truly see them. My grandmother, for example, was the one women who knew herself very well and adjusted to circumstances perfectly, but she never liked to be alone. She always craved for people to be around her. Then, not everyone has access to solitude. Most women juggle many duties that leave little or no room for alone time. Does that make self-discovery a luxury, then, to be only accessed through solitude? I don't think so. We can all find ourselves in stillness or in action, with or without solitude. We can access and reconnect with our selves both in company, noise or in silence and solitude. Who we are cannot only be accessed through withdrawal, silence and alone time. Who we are as women may already be showing up in the ways we live, love, resist, and deal with the world. |
| Prompt: Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off and they are nearly always doing it. Write about this quote in your Blog entry today. ----------- This quote is from the Secret Garden, that my class in eighth grade--circa 1957--was to put up as a play, which didn't work because, as eager as our just-out-of-college-young English teacher was to act as a producer, nothing worked. She was a very cute teacher but she was impatient with people forgetting their lines, looking at the wrong side of the stage or person, and us giggling unnecessarily. Come to think of it, we all had more fun with the teacher's exasperation than our illusion of being in a play. At the end, the project was erased off. So much for the young teens' stage misconceptions and a sapling teacher's aspirations! As to the quote, the robin is a symbol of wisdom, gentleness, friendship and connection to nature. The main character is a lonely child and the robin leads her to the secret garden. The secret garden is a place of healing and growth, and the kind and cheerful robin is the symbol of nature. This robin comforts the girl by helping her deal with her problems and embrace change. Then, the girl introduces her invalid cousin to the garden and both kids begin to heal in body and spirit and the garden blossoms even more. Come to think of it, our world today is in need of a robin, too. Except, we either don't recognize the real robins that show up or we replace them with false robins. Will the real robins rise up, please! |
| Prompt: Fears and Courage “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” Robert Louis Stevenson Is it always wise to keep fears to ourselves or should we boast about our courage? What would pros and cons be in both these cases? ------------ I am not sure about being secretive about such fear or courage issues or boasting openly about them. Sometimes, talking about fears too much can make them bigger than they already are. I, however, would probably prefer staying silent about them so they can allow me to power my way through them, without overthinking. That is, if or when this approach is doable. With me, I never know. Also, of course, this depends on the fear. Sometimes, it is difficult to contain my fears inside myself. Nevertheless, I've learned over the years that I lived in Florida not to panic during each summer to fall, which is the hurricane season. Still, I can't tell you that I am 100% calm, come mid July. Well, I'm not fearless about this, and I won't act as if I am fearless. Also, there may be a con about acting fearless. If I advertise myself as being fearless and if, heaven forbid, I believed in my own lie, it would create pressure on me to maintain such an image. Then, that image itself would become a problem, wouldn't it! So, in the case of the hurricane season, let's say, I'm on alert but do not expect the worst...at least, not always. As to boasting my courage, this approach needs very fine tuning. If done with no humility, I may come off as being self-centered or as a bragger who needs to overshadow other people. This would make others connections to me, at best, iffy. Then, funny enough, as far as human psychology goes, people are said to relate better to fears and misfortunes than victories and successes. Pointing out my own courage, all the time, might drive people away and might make me miss on the chances for deeper and more honest friendships. Where fear and courage are concerned, therefore, the path in the middle might be the wisest. This is because courage isn't the absence of fear but acting in spite of it. When I let people see those sides in me in their true forms, that could prove to be the best approach. |
| Prompt: “Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.” William Saroyan Is it always true that people gain wisdom when they fail, and have you ever gained wisdom from any failure? ------------- If I and anyone else always gained wisdom from failures, we would be the wisest people in the world. I don't know why failure is often described as a powerful teacher. The idea that we learn more from mistakes rather than from successes is a popular belief, echoed in motivational speeches, self-help books, and everyday conversations. If so, all of us should go after failures, shouldn't we? But, no! No one really likes failing. This is because gaining insight from a failure is wisdom in itself and none of us were born that wise! Granted, we do learn from repeated failures only if and when it dawns on us that something we're doing is not working. Then, what about context? The ability to learn from failure has to do with the environment and the support available to a person or even a business. When surrounded by mentors or friends who encourage reflection and growth, we are more likely to extract lessons from setbacks and other stuff. Also, timing plays a role. Sometimes, such wisdom doesn’t come right away. It may take time and more experiences before a person can look back and understand what they could have done differently. Not that lamenting the past is wisdom, either. So, isn't applauding failure as a teacher a false belief? Failure may teach but its teaching is not guaranteed and facing a failure can be extremely painful. I, therefore, believe, in essence, wisdom really comes from the willingness to reflect, understand, and learn. In short, real wisdom is based upon one's sincere willingness to grow. Then, and only then, everything--including failure--, will act as a teacher. |
| Prompt: "Easter is the only time when it's perfectly safe to put all of your eggs in one basket." Evan Esar If given the choice, which types of candies would you put in your own basket? ------- I'm not sure about putting all my fresh eggs in one basket. What if the clumsy me dropped the basket? I guess boiled ones wouldn't matter much. Worse comes to worst, their shells would be cracked. So, what would it matter, in this world where most anything is cracking up recently! And I'm cracking up, right now, at what flows out of my keyboard onto the screen. As to that basket I'm supposed to fill with goodies, I'd start with dark chocolate anything and jellybeans, and other sweets like my grandmother's pastries that are now impossible to find, my mother's eclairs that also are a memory, and again as another memory, my late husband's delightful smile. Added to all that can be the purrs from the cat heaven of my beautiful black Noche and all my earlier cats, plus from the dog heaven, the sight of our Newfoundland dog Joe's gorgeous eyes, watching me with the purest love ever. Then, I wish to put my basket inside a much larger basket, so large that it may be impossible to carry, since inside, this large basket is already quite full with blessings for my sons, family, friends, and fellow human beings--of love and light, cooperation among people and nations, and peace and hope for our world. I think I'll pull that hope to the top of this very big basket, even though I may only be dreaming. |
| Prompt: “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” —Abraham Lincoln “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” —Dalai Lama; Let these quotes inspire your entry today. ------------ Ahha! I agree with Abraham Lincoln. Try putting your feet, even only one foot in the wrong place, and see what happens, especially in old age when your stance isn't steady. In 2016, I broke a vertebra--L4, to be exact--which eventually healed, thanks to the orthopedist. So now, I'm very careful with where I step and how I step. Mind you that I am using the word "step" literally and metaphorically. As to the Dalai Lama's quote, sorry, but I don't think so, even though I totally respect this great man's optimism and spirituality. I said I don't agree with this quote because--for a very long time, now--I have been suspecting that we were put on this planet so to test our mettle. And I bet no one feels deliriously happy while taking a test. Picture this: Bombs are all over the place and raining down on you and everyone, and all your loved ones are dead while you are barely alive. How deliriously happy are you, in a situation like this? If you think you can be happy under such circumstances, I would advise you to seek psychiatric help. I don't think the One who put us on this planet wants us to be crazily happy all the time; however, we may be allowed to taste happiness in short spurts or maybe for a few years or so, as a grace. Then, I think, we are here to experience different things and to watch ourselves as to how we act within those experiences. So the resulting awareness will show us who or what we really are. In other words, we are here to get to know our own selves. As for me, for to help my mood (i. e. happiness), when things go haywire, I tell myself, "This, too, shall pass!" Then, when any rotten stuff is over, I usually don't feel too great either, especially after the death of someone close. So, even "This, too, shall pass" can and does become only a temporary Band-Aid. So what's the key to staying alive and feeling somewhat okay without falling into deep depression when things go wrong and they don't seem to get better in the near (or far) future? I guess, each one of us will have to answer that question in their own way. For me, though, the answer is to get through any difficult moment as calmly as I possibly can, do the best with everything I do, keep very busy so rotten ideas and feelings do not crowd my mind, and always try to learn something new, which in my case, is a new language, usually. This may be because I always loved words, especially when they are written well. Keeping my mind busy helps avoid a lot of trouble, so it doesn't keep on yacking and bringing up old stuff or stinky future possibilities. As Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor, said: “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” |
| Prompt: What are your plans for this weekend? -------- I don't usually make weekend plans, but I'm looking forward to this weekend, as both my sons will be here, plus a friend or two, just maybe. Right now, only my older son from NY is visiting as he only likes Florida during the winter and spring months, and now, his presence in the house is a blessing. So, today, I'm planning to take it slow and enjoy some downtime, as I am always doing something, always trying to iron out life's creases and wrinkles. People in the psycho business say that looking forward to something increases and sustains optimism. They found that people were at their happiest while actually planning their vacation rather than being on the vacation itself. On the other hand, that is one reason, I like to have somewhat of a routine. I mean what if I anticipate something great and it is not so? Would I like that disappointment? Not me. But I digress. Coming back to this weekend, Saturday morning, I will probably start with a good cup of tea and a late breakfast—maybe pancakes or something somewhat indulgent. I am not even a fan of pancakes, and I don't know why they popped into my mind just now. More likely, I might have something else, more like French toast and oatmeal for breakfast. Then, I might go for a walk and when I come in I might write in my blog and conjure up a poem for Katya's "Dew Drop Inn" , for April being the poetry month. After that, maybe, I'll do chores around the house. The same will probably go for Sunday, except of course, both my sons will be here, and I never know what will pop up with them. In any case, I'm sure they'll decide for me. Honestly, that might be the best part. |
| Prompt: "Hope springs eternal." Write about this in your Blog entry today. --------- "Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blest." Alexander Pope’s poem An Essay on Man (1734) How could I forget this quote! I knew Princess Megan Rose  's prompt was tied to something very familiar but couldn't put my finger on it right away. Now, I know after searching it. Alexander Pope was probably my tenth grade English teacher, (RIP) Mrs. Mc Achron's favorite poet and she told us never to forget "hope." That was more than six decades ago.But I did forget "hope" at times, as life does it to people, and it did to me, too. Yet, as I have found over and over again, things can and do improve, maybe not exactly to my liking, but in the least, they become tolerable. Even in the face of adversity, disappointment, or failure, hope finds a way to emerge...quietly, persistently, and sometimes irrationally. It was hope what motivated me to try again and again after failing, to love again after losing, or to believe in peace in times of conflict, as no matter how difficult life became, I had to continue to hope for better days. Hope always knows when to emerge when to motivate me to get up and brush off the dust and gloom, and continue to change, to heal, and to keep on going. This quote then, is not only a poet's observation but a powerful, quiet truth about our human condition. I hope I never lose hope! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
